unworthy

adjective

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un·wor·thy | \ ˌən-ˈwər-t͟hē

Definition of unworthy

1a : lacking in excellence or value : poor, worthless

b : base, dishonorable

2 : not meritorious : undeserving unworthy of attention

3 : not deserved : unmerited unworthy treatment

4 : inappropriate to one's condition or station actions unworthy of a gentleman

Other Words from unworthy More Example Sentences Learn More About unworthy

Other Words from unworthy

unworthily \ ˌən-ˈwər-t͟hə-lē

\ adverb

unworthiness \ ˌən-ˈwər-t͟hē-nəs

\ noun

Examples of unworthy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Whereas most men graciously accept honors and willingly take credit, women often feel unworthy, says Golodryga. — Jane Hanson, Forbes, 8 May 2022 Others have either moved too far away to go back or have deemed a commute unworthy of their time or money, especially given rising gas prices. — Chandra Steele, PCMAG, 4 May 2022 Which is part of the issue with Cyrano, who may feel unworthy of love. — New York Times, 22 Dec. 2021 Part of being a hero is to have both the modesty to feel unworthy of such a heavy word and the strength to accept the responsibility that comes with others looking to you to be that hero. — Austin Knoblauchassistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2022 In July 2018, when a coalition of government-watchdog groups filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over New PAC spending $5,518 on private jets, FEC staff deemed the amount unworthy of an enforcement action. — Jake Bernstein, The New York Review of Books, 23 Apr. 2020 The fact that so many unworthy players went so far is simply too damning. — Dalton Ross, EW.com, 9 Dec. 2021 The post-presidential lives they're expected to lead are unworthy of them, especially when those long descents to the grave could stretch on for decades. — Grayson Quay, The Week, 7 Apr. 2022 The film’s director Paul Haggis even considers the film to be unworthy of the honor. — cleveland, 26 Mar. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unworthy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near unworthy

unworth

unworthy

unwoundable

Statistics for unworthy

Last Updated

18 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Unworthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unworthy. Accessed 27 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for unworthy

unworthy

adjective

un·wor·thy | \ ˌən-ˈwər-t͟hē

unworthier; unworthiest

Kids Definition of unworthy

1 : not deserving someone or something He's unworthy of such praise.

2 : not appropriate for a particular kind of person or thing That behavior is unworthy of you.

unworthy

adjective

un·wor·thy

Legal Definition of unworthy

: not meritorious specifically, in the civil law of Louisiana : being or relating to an heir who is deprived of the right to inherit from a person because of a failure in a duty towards the person